SPECIAL POLICY: DOOR HINGE REPLACEMENT DUE TO BREAKAGE
SUBJECT: SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT 8.7 mm CONICAL PIN DOOR HINGES
MODELS/YEARS: 1988-89 CUTLASS SUPREME COUPE
CONDITION
General Motors has determined that certain 1988-89 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupes with 8.7 mm conical pin door hinges have had a door hinge break while opening or closing a door. If the lower hinge breaks, the door may require more effort to close, or a popping or scraping noise might be heard. If the upper hinge breaks, the end of the door nearest the outside door handle may drop down, making the door difficult to reposition and close properly.
NOTICE
It has been determined that a primary cause of door hinge fracture is corrosion of the door hinge. Accordingly, the majority of vehicles experiencing this condition will be located in high corrosion areas (such as the Canadian Maritime Provinces, New England, and Great Lakes States).
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are certain 1988-89 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupes with 8.7 mm conical pin door hinges within the following breakpoints:
Beginning Through & Year Model Model Name VIN Including ---- ----- ---------- ---------- ---------- 1988 W Cutlass Supreme Coupe JD300001 JD394723
1989 W Cutlass Supreme Coupe KD300001 KD313504
SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT
This special policy covers the condition described above for ten (10) years and unlimited mileage with no deductible, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service regardless of ownership. Correction at no charge to the customer will consist of replacing ALL door hinges in involved vehicles which experience failure of any 8.7 mm single-hung door hinge. 11.3 mm single-hung hinges will be used to replace the 8.7 mm single hung hinges when a failure occurs.
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this special policy by Oldsmobile (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin).
OWNER REIMBURSEMENT
NOTICE: When a customer requests reimbursement, dealers are to schedule an appointment to have all door hinges (including those replaced previously) replaced with the 11.3 mm hinges required for this special policy.
Customer claims for reimbursement on previously paid repairs to correct a fractured door hinge are to be submitted by December 31, 1992 (the time limitation may be longer depending upon the law in your states). Repairs must have occurred within ten (10) years of the date the vehicle was originally placed in service (no mileage limitation). Current and prior owners must submit original documentation that reasonably confirms the amount of unreimbursed repair expense, a description of the repair, the date of the repair, and the person or entity who performed the repair.
Claims for customer reimbursement on previously paid repairs are to be submitted according to the Warranty Claim information instructions. Use the "Owner Reimbursement" labor operation (T1834) and list all owner expenses concerning previous repairs in the net items column of the warranty claim.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
IMPORTANT: THIS PROCEDURE DIFFERS FROM PRIOR HINGE REPLACEMENT METHODS BECAUSE:
a. Door remains on the vehicle.
b. Access to both door hinges is made through the front wheel house area.
c. Hinges come pre-primed and are NOT to be painted.
IMPORTANT: IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE DOOR REALIGNMENT, DO NOT REMOVE BOTH DOOR HINGES AT THE SAME TIME. DO EACH HINGE SEPARATELY AND, IF BROKEN HINGES ARE NOTED DURING VEHICLE WRITE-UP, REPLACE BROKEN HINGES FIRST.
1. Obtain hinges for both doors.
2. Place vehicle on a hoist, and using the proper lift points, raise the vehicle to half up position (until wheel/tire chest high). See Section OA of Cutlass Supreme service manual for hoisting instructions and cautions.
3. Using two pieces of masking tape, place one piece to bridge the gap between door and rocker panel and the second piece to bridge the gap between the door and the quarter panel to act as reference points for door alignment (see illustration).
4. Cut tape at the gap area using a utility knife or other suitable tool.
5. Remove the front tire and wheel assemblies.
6. Starting at the top center of the front wheel house liner, remove all the attaching screws located rearward of the top center of the liner.
7. Loosen the liner from the fender and position the liner forward of the front suspension assembly.
8. Remove the insulator cover attachments and the insulator cover (located between the fender and the hinge pillar.
9. Clean the hinge mounting surfaces on the door and body with a rag and mark the hinge locations on the body surfaces with grease pencil or other suitable marker.
IMPORTANT: BROKEN HINGES SHOULD BE REPLACED BEFORE OTHER HINGES ARE REPLACED.
10. Remove the hinge attaching fasteners and the hinge from vehicle.
11. Install new hinge within previously marked locations using new fasteners and lightly tighten the fasteners.
12. Repeat steps 10 and 11 for the remaining hinge.
13. Repeat steps 3 through 12 for the remaining door.
14. Install both tire/wheel assemblies to vehicle and lower vehicle to ground level.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT SHORT-CUT THIS STEP. IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT RESTING ON THE TIRES WHILE PERFORMING STEP 15, MISALIGNMENT OF THE DOORS WILL RESULT.
15. Inspect edges of the tape on the doors and with the aid of a helper, align doors as necessary.
16. Raise vehicle to previous position and remove the front tire/wheel assemblies.
17. Tighten and torque hinge attachments to 24 N.m (1 8 Lb. Ft.).
18. Reinstall the insulator covers between the fenders and hinge pillars. Reposition and install wheel house liners using original screws.
19. Reinstall the tire and wheel assemblies.
20. Carefully remove the reference tape from the doors, rockers, and quarters. Lower hoist and remove vehicle.
PARTS INFORMATION
Parts for this special policy will be available beginning March 2, 1992. To ensure parts are obtained as soon as possible, order them from General Motors Service Parts Operations (GMSPO) on a C.I.O. order, with NO special instruction code, but order on an advise code (2).
PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION QUANTITY PER VEHICLE ----------- ------------ -------------------- 10218446 Left Door Hinge Kit 1
10218445 Right Door Hinge Kit 1
Each door hinge kit contains 2 hinges, 4 nuts, and 4 bolts.
Due to initial parts quantity restrictions, please limit the ordering of hinge kits to your previous dealership experience with this condition.
WARRANTY CLAIM INFORMATION
Submit a claim with the information indicated below:
REPAIR PERFORMED FC LAB-OP LHRS ST ---------------- -- ------ ---- ---- Install New Door Hinges - Coupe 95 T1831 1.6
Customer Reimbursement 95 T1834 --- 0.2*
* .2 hour for clerical administration may be applied for in the Straight Time (ST) column.
Parts Allowance: Current dealer price, plus 30% handling allowance.
NOTE: Any body repair associated with a broken hinge found at the time of replacing the hinges should be listed in the SUBLET column.
OWNER LETTER
[Letter to Connecticut and Virginia owners notes that they have two years from the date the repair was paid for in which to seek reimbursement]
Dear 1988-89 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Owner:
We at Oldsmobile are very proud of the Cutlass Supreme, and sincerely hope that you are happy with your vehicle. We are also proud of the warranty coverage that we provide you. Sometimes, however, we need to make some special arrangements so that things which might happen, even to a very small number of our customers, are handled properly.
Some Oldsmobile customers with 1988-89 Cutlass Supreme coupes may have a door hinge break while opening or closing a door. If a lower hinge breaks, it will require more effort to close the door, or you may hear a popping or scraping noise. If an upper hinge breaks, the end of the door nearest the outside door handle will drop down, making it difficult to reposition and close the door properly.
Most Cutlass Supreme coupes are not experiencing this problem. In fact, because the condition is primarily a corrosion problem, very few vehicles outside of corrosion areas, such as New England and the Great Lakes States, are likely to experience a broken hinge. Nevertheless, we are taking action for all Cutlass Supreme coupe owners.
- We are providing owners with special coverage for this hinge condition. In the event of any door hinge failure, all door hinges will be replaced at no charge to the owner. This coverage will be in effect for 10 years and unlimited mileage from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.
- If you have already paid for some or all of the cost to have a broken door hinge replaced, and you wish reimbursement, contact the Service Department at your Oldsmobile dealer. Please provide your original paid receipts or invoices verifying the repair, the amount charged, proof of your payment and the date of payment of those charges. This information must be provided by December 31, 1992. If you can, we suggest you go to the Oldsmobile dealer who sold and/or regularly services your vehicle as they have records on your vehicle.
If your car ever has a broken door hinge, we suggest that you fully close the door, lock it, and take advantage of this coverage as soon as you can.
Please keep this letter with your vehicle warranty; presentation of this letter to your dealer will assist in identifying the Dealer Technical Bulletin [instructions] which apply.
We are sorry if this condition causes you any inconvenience. By taking this action, however, we hope to show that we value having you as an Oldsmobile customer.
General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
